Photographic wash vessel



March 19, 1968 w. w. BUECHNER 3,373,674

PHOTOGRAPHI C WASH VESSEL Filed Feb. 37 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l jff F IG.2

INVENTOR.

Qua N (A) March 19, 1968 w. w. BUECHNER 3,373,674

' PHOTOGRAPHIC WASH VESSEL Filed Feb 3. 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet FIG.9

. INVENTOR.

FIG, 8

United States Patent Office 3,373,674 Patented Mar. 19, 1968 Thisapplication is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser.No. 52,524, filed Aug. 29, 1960 now patent No. 3,236,649.

This invention relates to a novel wash vessel and more specifically toan upright wash vessel for the treatment of photographic materials.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an upright washvessel, which is adapted to be used in the treatment of photographicsheet materials. It is another object of the invention to provide anupright wash vessel, which is adapted to be inserted in a water bath, ingeneral sealing relationship with the side walls and bottom of the waterbath such that a continuous stream of a washing medium fed to the waterbath passes in a substantially vertical direction through the washvessel.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an upright washvessel, which lends itself to the use in a compartmented water bath,such that a predominantly vertical flow pattern of a flowing stream ofwater is established in the wash vessel, when the vessel is inserted ina compartment of the water bath.

-Another object of the invention is the provision of an upright washvessel which is adapted to be used interchangeably with upright treatingvessels in a compartmented water bath so as to permit the establishmentof any desired treating sequence in a given water bath.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an upright washvessel, which is adapted to be used interchangeably with uprighttreating vessels in a compartmented water bath, so as to permit theestablishment of any desired treating sequence in a given water bath,yet having its own, independent supply of washing medium.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of an uprightwash vessel, which is adapted to be used with particular advantage forthe treatment of photographic color materials in multistep developingand/or aftertreating processes by professional or amateur photographers.

Another object is the provision of an upright wash vessel which isparticularly adapted for use in photographic developing apparatus havingmeans for automatic mechanical agitation and/or automatic forwardingmeans.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a photographicwash vessel, having a highly eflicient washing action with a minimum ofa washing medium, flowing through the wash vessel. Other objects willbecome apparent as the description of the invention proceeds.

The objects of the invention are achieved by the provision of a washvessel, which comprises a generally parallelepipedal receptacle with anopening and a horizontal overflow at or in the top section of the vesseland a passageway for a washing medium in its bottom section, saidopening at the top being adapted to permit the insertion of at least onesheet of photographic material into the vessel in substantially verticalorientation, said overflow in the upper portion of the vessel and saidpassageway for the washing medium in the lower section of the vesselextending substantially horizontally preferably over the whole length ofthe vessel, so as to permit the passage of a stream of washing medium insubstantially vertical direction over the whole horizontal cross sectionof the vessel.

The receptacle comprises two major side walls and two end walls andoptionally a bottom. In a preferred embodiment of the wash vessel of theinvention is superimposed on said receptacle in sealing relationship atrough-like reservoir of a width greater than the width of said lowerparallelepipedal section.

The said major wall sections are advantageously parallel to each other.The end walls may be either substantially vertical and parallel to eachother or slanting advantageously in such manner, that the verticalsection of the vessel, taken through a plane perpendicularly to the endwalls, represents a trapezoid with its base at the top of the vessel.

The invention comprises furthermore another embodiment of the uprightwash vessel of the invention, in which a receptacle formed by two majorside walls, two end walls and optionally a bottom, with an opening andan overflow in the top section and a passageway for washing medium inthe bottom section is provided with generally vertical sealing meansalong the vertical end walls. Said end wall-mounted sealing means areadvantageously adapted to fit removably into cooperating sealing meansprovided in the side walls of a water bath or of a compartment, in whichthe vessels are to be inserted for their use. The cooperating sealingmeans in the water bath and on the said end walls of the vessel arepreferably adapted such that they provide a substantially liquid tightseal between at least a major portion of each of the end walls of thevessel and the vicinal portion of-the side walls of the water bath. Inthis embodiment of the vessel, the said cooperating sealing means areadvantageously adapted to support the vessel in the water bath in aposition such that the bottom of the vessel is at least slightly raisedfrom the bottom of the water bath so as to leave a passageway,permitting free flow of .a stream of water through the opening orpassage in the bottom section of the wash vessel.

The preferred embodiment of the wash vessel comprises furthermore and inaddition to the end wallmounted sealing means horizontal sealing means,which are adapted to establish essentially liquid tight seal between thelower portion of the wash vessel and the bottom of the water bath orbetween one major side wall of the wash vessel and one of the separatorywalls, forming the compartment in the water bath. These additionalsealing means are provided in such manner, that they separate the saidoverflow means from the said passageway in the lower section of the washvessel such that the overflow is located on one side of the sealingmeans and the lower passage is located on the other side of the saidsealing means.

This embodiment of the upright wash vessel is used with great benefit ina compartmented water bath of a kind as is described in more detail andclaimed in my copending application Ser. No. 342,029 filed Feb. 3, 1964.

In the device of this application the cooperating sealing means areprovided in the vertical end walls of the compartment so as to receiveand hold the upright wash vessel of the present invention by its ownsealing means, when it is inserted in said compartment. Advantageously,said water bath contains also counter sealing means adapted to cooperatewith the horizontal sealing means provided with the type of washvessels, which is to be used in the particular water bath.

As will be apparent from the following description, the embodiment ofthe upright wash vessel containing the sealing means may be constructedwith or without a superimposed trough-like reservoir. Generally, thesuperimposed trough-like reservoir is employed with greatest benefit inthe narrow upright vessels of the invention and with vessels which aredesigned to be used with such carrier means for the photographic sheetmaterials which have a horizontal cross section not much smaller thanthe horizontal top Opening of the vessel.

Further embodiments and modifications of the upright wash vessel will bedescribed in the following detailed description of the invention and inthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a vertical elevational side view and FIG. 2 is a top plan viewof an embodiment of the wash vessel of the present invention. Arectangular support is shown in FIG. 2 in a side elevational view,inserted in operating position (high position).

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a trapezoidal embodiment of the uprightwash vessel of the invention.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of an upright wash vessel of the presentinvention provided with generally vertical and horizontal sealing means.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of an embodiment of the wash vessel of theinvention, having an apron as the horizontal sealing means.

FIG. 6 depicts a fragmentary isometric view of an upright wash vessel,comprising vertical female sealing means and horizontal male sealingmeans.

FIG. 7 is a top elevation, FIG. 8 is a vertical length section takenalong line 88 in FIG. 7 and FIG. 9 is a vertical cross section takenalong line 99 of FIG. 7 of an embodiment of the wash vessel of thepresent invention comprising a box-like enclosure of the lowerpassageway.

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of another embodiment of the upright washvessel of the invention.

Prefatory to a detailed description of the device of the invention andof its utility, some of the more important terms used herein will beexplained in order to provide a better understanding of the nature ofthe invention and of its scope.

The term upright wash vessel as used herein, is intended to refer to agenerally vertical vessel having a height and length substantiallygreater than the width of the vessel. The vessel is principally formedby two major sides walls and two vertical end walls, forming a containerwith a passageway for the washing medium in the bottom section of thevessel, an overflow for the passage of the washing medium in the topsection and with an opening at the top of a shape and size, so as topermit readily the insertion and removal of the standard photographicsheet material of the maximum size for the treatment of which the vesselis designed. The open top of the upright vessel is conveniently in ahorizontal position. The dimensions of the vessel are selected such thatit accommodates the largest sheet to be treated therein, permittinginsertion of the plane sheet in generally vertical orientation betweenthe major side walls.

The said overflow means may be formed by shortening one of the majorside walls to a level substantially below that of the second major sidewall or by the provision of one or more horizontal slot-like openings inone of the major side walls of the vessel. Alternatively, a row ofperforations of any desired shape may be substituted for the slot-likeopenings. The cut-out or slot or slots or the said perforations areprovided in such manner, that a generally horizontal passageway isformed in the upper portion of the wash vessel at the desired level. Theposition of said upper horizontal passageway corresponds preferably tothe level determined by the washing medium flowing through the waterbath and the positioning of the wash vessel, when it is inserted insealing relationship in the Water bath. In other words, said upperpassageway is provided advantageously at a level such that the level ofthe washing medium in the water bath or compartment is changed as littleas possible when the wash vessel is inserted therein.

The horizontal passageway provided in the lower section of the washvessel may likewise be of any desired construction. It may be providedby simply omitting the bottom from the said receptacle, or it may beformed by at least one essentially horizontal slot, provided in thebottom section or in the lower portion of one of the major side walls orby a multitude of perforations of any desired shape, arranged in onehorizontal row over generally the whole length of the wash vessel. Manymodifications and deviations from the just described arrangement arepossible, provided the general principle underlying the construction ofthe washing vessel of the present invention is observed.

The wash vessel is advantageously used with its side and end walls in agenerally vertical orientation. The term generally vertica is intendedto encompass besides the vertical position, positions of the side and/orend walls which vary substantially from the vertical positions to amaximum of about 30 and sometimes up to 45. The slanting orientation ofthe walls is encountered particularly in the case, where the side and/or end walls of the vertical vessel are slanted or sloped in relation tothe central vertical axis or plane of the upright vessel. Independentlythereof, the vessel itself may be used in a slanted orientation,particularly with its major side walls deviating substantially from thevertical position. This is independent of the relative position of themajor side walls to each other, i.e., whether the major side walls areparallel to each other or sloping toward each other at the top or bottomportion, respectively, as the case may be.

The term major side walls as used herein, is intended to refer to thepair of opposite walls, which are the largest generally vertical walls,comprised in the vessel. Usually, the major side walls are considerablylonger than the vertical end walls adjoining them, though both the sidewalls and the end walls are usually of the same or similar height. Anexception to this rule is found in the embodiments of the wash vessel,in which one of the major side walls is shortened so as to provide thesaid overflow. Independently thereof, the second major side wall and theend walls are advantageously of the same or similar height. The bottomarea of the wash vessel is usually considerably smaller in surface areathan the adjoining major side walls.

The terminology generally parallelepipedal is intended to refer to ashape which represents, in the ideal situation, a parallelepiped. Theterm includes, however, also shapes which deviate considerably from thisbasic configuration by the fact, that one or more of the sides of theparallelepiped are slanted or sloped in relation to the axis of theparallelepiped. Thus, truncated prisms are included in the term the sameas configurations, in which the bottom and/or the top of theparallelepiped are slanted, non-horizontal or curved, so as to be joinedto the side walls at angles other than Deviations of up to 45 or evenmore, from the horizontal plane of the top and/or bottom sides of theparallelepiped are included in the scope of the invention as will beexplained hereinafter.

The term vertical sealing means is intended to encompass means, joinedor attached to the vertical end walls or to the edges of the majorvertical sidewalls of the upright wash vessel. The sealing meansprovided on the vessels of the invention are intended to cooperate withcoacting sealing means, provided in the water bath or in thecompartments of the compartmented water bath or with the components ofthe bath or compartment, respectively, in which the wash vessel is to beused. The term vertical sealing means comprises sealing means which are,with the upright vessel in operating position, truly vertical. It is,however, intended to encompass also any generally vertical orientationof the sealing means for example, where the sealing means arewedge-shaped or slanted so that their outermost free edges form an.angle with the vertical plane of up to 30 or more but less than 45.

The term horizontal sealing means is intended to refer to sealing meanswhich are adapted to provide liquid-tight seal between the bottomsection and/or one of the major side walls of the vessel with the bottomof the bath and/or one of the separatory walls of the compartments inthe compartmented water bath. The horizontal sealing means may have anydesired shape and orientation. They may represent a seal strip extendingbelow the vessel in generally horizontal orientation, so as to engagewith the bottom, or more advantageously with suitable cooperatingcounter sealing means, provided in or at the bottom of the water bath orcompartment, respectively. They may also have the form of generallyhorizontal sealing strips provided at one of the major side walls, so asto establish essentially liquid-tight seal with one of the separatorywalls of the compartment or with suitable counter sealing means providedin or at said separatory wall. This embodiment of the horizontal sealingmeans may be an integral part of the vessel, such as a box-likestructure joined to one of the major side walls of the vessel or theymay be joined to the separatory wall of the compartment or they may beindependent of both the vessel and the separatory wall, being insertedinto the free space left between the separatory wall and the wash vesselwhen the latter is inserted in the compartment The horizontal sealingmeans may be made from rigid materials in relatively close tolerances orthey may be made from elastomeric materials, which are slightly largerthan the space into which they are inserted, such as a pad of solid orof foamed or expanded elastomeric material, which is simply insertedinto the space between the separatory wall and one of the major sidewalls of the vessel, facing the former to provide excellent seal for thepurposes of the invention. Other forms of the horizontal sealing meansinclude aprons joined to one of the major side walls with a strip-likegasket along the upper edge of the separatory wall providing thehorizontal seal. The vertical and horizontal sealing means together maybe combined to form together with the major side wall of the vessel abarrier, which, when inserted in lieu of one of the separatory walls ofthe compartments, establishes the desired flow pattern and forms at thesame time the compartments in the water bath.

The term sealing means is meant to designate the combination of any typeof the vertical sealing means with any type of the horizontal sealingmeans independently of their position and association with either thewash vessel or with the water bath. The term includes also the use ofseparate vertical and/ or horizontal sealing means, which are not joinedto or integral with the wash vessel nor the water bath.

The term trough-like reservoir as used herein, is intended to define asection of the vessel having a length similar to that of the verticalwash vessel, of a width substantially greater than that of thevessel andof a height which is less than that of the lower section of the uprightvessel. The trough-like reservoir may have any desired vertical crosssectional configuration. Its lower horizontal edge must however conformto the upper edge of the lower section of the vessel, so as to permitliquidtight superimposition of the trough-like reservoir onto the lowersection of the upright vessel in sealing relationship either removablyor as an integral part of the vessel. The lower and upper end of thetrough-like reservoir are both provided with an opening, so as to permitinsertion of the plane photographic material into the wash vessel.

The upright wash vessels of the present invention may be widely used inphotographic liquid treatments and especially for the washing betweenother treatment steps and/or for the final washing of flexible or rigidphotographic positive and negative sheet materials such a 'films,reversal films, plates and paper base materials. The

washing vessels of the present invention are especially useful andbeneficial in their application to the more recently introducedphotographic color processes and they are particularly adapted to theprocessing of color positive and negative multilayer color sheet and cutfilms as well as to the processing of multilayer positive color printingmaterials in sheet or cut form, particularly those on a paper base suchas Kodak Ektacolor Paper.

The present invention includes many modifications of the device whichmake it particularly suited for application in the said multistep colordeveloping processes, and particularly also in the photographic treatingprocesses described and claimed in my copending application Ser. No.52,524 filed Aug. 29, 1960 now Patent 3,236,649. The upright washvessels of the present invention are excellently suited and adapted tobe used in conjunction with the water bath described in my copendingapplication Ser. No. 342,029 filed Feb. 3, 1964, and in combination withthe carrier means for photographic sheet materials and for roll film orother film materials described in my copending application Ser. No.342,028 filed Feb. 3, 1964.

Relative movement of the sheet within the wash vessel usually increasesthe washing efiectiveness of the stream of washing medium flowingthrough the wash vessel. Any other desired agitation may be used such asis achieved by gas burst valves or by ultrasonic generators.

Embodiments of the upright treating vessel which may be used withparticular advantage in combination with the wash vessel of the presentinvention are described in detail and claimed in my copendingapplication Ser. No. 342,198 filed Feb. 3, 1964.

A highly effective washing action may be achieved if a wash vessel isused which has dimensions and appearance similar to the upright treatingvessels used in a particular apparatus. However, the wash vessel isdistinguished by the omission of the bottom or by the provision of awide slot-like opening in the bottom or in the lower portion of one ofthe wide side walls. It is further distinguished by the provision of aslot-like opening in the upper portion of one of the wide vertical Wallsat a position, which is at or close to the water level in the bath whenthe wash vessel is inserted therein. Said upper slot is preferablyprovided in the side wall opposite that, which carries the lower slot inits lower portion if such is used. Both the lower and the upper openingextend preferably over the full length or nearly over the full length ofthe vessel, thus permitting the passage of a stream of flowing Waterover the whole length of the vessel.

It is also most advantageous for efficient trouble-free operation toprovide said slot in the upper portion of the wide side wall at aheight, which coincides with the water level in the bath or in theindividual cell when the Wash vessel is inserted therein. Instead ofproviding the upper wide slot in one of the wide side walls, the wideside wall in another advantageous embodiment of the wash vessel of thepresent invention is terminated, upwardly at the ust mentioned positioni.e. at or near the water level 1n the bath when the wash vessel isinserted therein.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawrngs the wash vesselis defined by wide vertical wall sectrons 116 and 117, and narrowvertical wall sections 118 and 119. The latter are slanting outwardly atthe top to form a trapezoidal section 120. The uppermost portion of thewalls continues in vertical direction to form an upper rectangular widersection 121 of the side walls. The wide vertical wall section 116 at theright is joined at its upper end with slanting section 122, to which isjoined vertical wall section 123, wall sections 122 and 123, followingthe contours of and being joined to the right edge of vertical side wallsections 118 and 119. Vertical wide wall section 117 at the left extendssomewhat lower down than the corresponding right section 116.Rectangular opening 124 is located at the bottom of the vessel andlimited by the lower edges of wall sections 116, 118, 119 and by theinner side of longer wall section 117. The upper edge 125 of verticalwall section 117 and the inner faces of the upper portions 120 and 121of the narrow side walls define a rectangular opening in the upper partof the vessel with its lowest edge defined by edge 125 of wall 117.

The water wash vessels are provided with an integral rectangular closedbody 132 at their left as is hown in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings. Thisbody is formed by wall section 117 of the wash vessel to the outside ofwhich are joined in rectangular fashion narrow horizontal top and bottomsections 126 and 127 and vertical narrow Sections 128 and 129 of thesame width. The opposite ide is closed oil by vertical wall section 130which is joined to the narrow wall sections to complete the closedbox-like body 132. The closed box-like body 132 thus formed has a widthto slip-fit the space left between wall 117 of the wash vessel and anyof the divider Walls, when the wash vessel is inserted in thecompartmented water bath.

The trough-like reservoir at the top of the vertical wash vesselprovides the greatest benefits with the extremely thin or narrow vesselsand particularly with those, in which the inside width between the majorvertical walls or the side walls of the parallelepiped is less thanapproximately 2.5 cm. Flaring or widening of the upper portion becomesmost important where the inside width of the vessel is less than about1.5 cm. and it is in fact mandatory for trouble-free operation andinsertion and removal of the sheet material or carrier means, where theinside width of the vessel is less than about 1 cm. down to 0.5 cm. orless, depending on the nature of the carrier means, on which thephotographic material is contained. A vessel, having this narrow widthand lacking the upper flared portion, poses considerable inconvenienceand difiiculty in its use, because it is often awkward to insert thecarrier means with the photographic sheet material through the narrowtop opening in the absence of suitable guide means. With certain carriermeans in which the sensitive photographic layers are located exposed tothe vessel walls and edges, damage to the sensitive layer cannot alwaysbe avoided if it is inserted into a very narrow vessel, lacking theflared upper section or reservoir, particularly when the operation iscarried out in dim safelight or in total darkness by relativelyinexperienced operators.

The vertical wash vessel of the present invention, having the liquidreservoir at the top end, does not pose these difliculties. The uppertrough-like section may be flared or widened at the top sufliciently, topermit ready and convenient insertion of the carrier means andphotographic material, even in the dark without damage to thephotographic material. It was found that making the top opening of thereservoir at least 2 cm. and preferably more than 2.5 cm. wide, willassure ready insertion of any desired kind of carrier means. Theslanting wall sections of the reservoir guide the carrier andphotographic material smoothly into the narrow vertical main section ofthe vessel without damage to the photographic material contained on thecarrier.

Usually the wash vessel is made wide enough in relation to the carriermeans to provide enough leeway between the end walls of the vessel andthe carrier means for smooth insertion and agitation. If it is desiredto make the dimension between the end walls of the vessel as short as isfeasible, in order to reduce the required volume of liquid to theminimum and in order to keep the dimensions of the device and apparatusas small as is possible with a given size of the standard sheet ofphotographic material to be treated, another embodiment of the uprightwash vessel may be used with particular advantage. In this embodimentnot only the major side walls but also the end walls are flared at theirtop end.

Referring to FIG. major side walls 730 are flared outwardly at the topin funnel-like fashion, similarly as is shown in FIG. 5 forming slantedwall sections 731, joined to the top edges of walls 730. End walls 732are likewise flared outwardly forming narrow slanted wall sections 733,joined to the top edges of end walls 732. The bottom of the vessel isopen, i.e., there is no bottom closing off the vessel. The opening 734formed in this manner serves as the passageway for the washing medium.The overflow in the upper section is formed by horizontal slot 735provided in slanting wall section 731.

When the wash vessel is inserted into a cell or compartment of thecompartmented bath described hereinafter with its wide vertical wall 730in sealing contact with the upstream wall of the cell and its narrowvertical side walls 732 in sealing contact with the narrow sides of thecell and the slot 735 at a level slightly above the upper edge of saidwall of the cell, the stream of water will enter the wash vessel throughslot 735, flow downward through the vessel leaving it through openbottom 734. From there it enters the cell flowing upward in the part ofthe cell which is not occupied by the wash vessel, until it overflowsthe downstream separatory wall of the compartment into the nextcompartment. One or more sheets of photographic material, when insertedinto the wash vessel, receive a very intensive washing action due to theunidirectional flow of the water. Making the vessel as narrow as isfeasible and in keeping with the space requirements of the maximumnumber of sheets to be inserted, will further intensify theeffectiveness of the wash vessel.

Opposite direction of flow of the stream of water in the vessel may bereadily achieved by placing wall 730 in sealing contact with thedownstream separatory wall of the compartment with slot 735 beinglocated at a level slightly above the upper edge of the wall. In thisposition the water, entering the compartment over the upper edge of theupstream wall, flows downward in the free part of the compartment,enters the Wash vessel through open bottom 734 and flows upwardly in thewash vessel, leaving it through upper slot 735 and flowing from thereinto the next compartment.

The term sealing contact as used hereinbefore and hereinafter isintended to mean that the respective members are in such close contact,that no water or substantially no water can pass between said members atthe hydrostatic water pressures encountered in the device of the presentinvention. The required close fitting and sealing contact may beachieved by the use of sealing strips or gaskets from elastomericmaterials interspaced between the vicinal members of the bath and washvessel, or by the use of other means Well known to the craftsman forachieving a water tight seat.

Suitable sealing means to achieve the sealing contact of the wash vesselof the present invention with the vicinal walls and, if desired, withthe bottom of the cell include the seal strips described hereinafter indetail. The seal stn'ps may be provided at the narrow vertical sides ofthe vessel and if desired, at the bottom of the wash vessel in suchmanner, that they do not interfere with the flow pattern set up in theparticular device or compartmented bath in which they are to be used.Suitable counter sealing means into which the seal strips engageremovably upon insertion of the wash vessel into the cell of thecompartmented bath, may be provided in appropriate locations in or atthe narrow side walls of the cell or compartment, and if applicable, inor at the bottom of the bath or compartment, so as to establish therequired sealing contact. Suitable counter sealing means includerecesses or indentations of suitable shape, provided in the narrow sideWalls and, if desired, in the bottom of the cell or compartment of thecompartmented bath. It" the said side walls and bottom of the cell orwater baths are made of heavy gauge material, the counter sealing meansmay be simply grooves, contained in the walls and/or bottom of thecompartment or cell. Alternatively, channel members may be provided atthe side 'walls and/or bottom such as U-strips of suitable dimensions.Various embodiments of suitable counter sealing means are described andclaimed in my copending application Ser. No. 342,029.

As is readily apparent, insertion of any kind of carrier means into anupright wash vessel encompassing the principle of the slanting uppersections of the end walls i.e., a superimposed reservoir flaring on allfour sides can be carried out extremely smoothly and trouble-free.

Another advantageous embodiment of the upright wash vessel of thepresent invention is characterized by a generally trapezoidalconfiguration which is achieved by the fact that both end walls areoutwardly slanted. This embodiment is shown schematically in FIG. 14.The vessel is defined by bottom 740, slanted end walls 741 and widevertical side walls 742 and 743, which have the form of an invertedtrapezoid having its narrow parallel edge joined to bottom 740. Theupper portion of side walls 742 may, if desired, be flared outwardly(not shown) in accordance with any of the hereinbefore shown principlesor in any other way, so as to form a superimposed reservoir. Side wall742 is extended on its side edges and at its bottom edge to formvertical seal strips 744 and horizontal seal strip 745, which togetherform the sealing means in this embodiment of the vessel. The vessel isadvantageously used in combination with a Water bath or a cell whichcomprises suitable counter sealing means adapted to cooperate and engagewith the sealing means of the wash vessel, so as to establishsubstantially liquid tight seal in the water bath or compartment,separating the inlet and outlet portion of the vessel. The lowerpassageway for the washing medium is formed by horizontal slot 746,which is located in wide side wall 742 close to the bottom of thevessel. The overflow passage 747 is formed by the upper horizontal edgeof the shortened side wall 743'.

In this trapezoidal embodiment of the vertical vessel the length ofbottom 740, measured inside the vessel, is advantageously at least equalto the width of the photographic sheet material to be treated, or of thecarrier means on which it is contained, respectively, so as to permitinsertion of the sheet material or carrier all the way to the bottom.The added width at the top of the vessel greatly facilitates theinsertion of the carrier. The trapezoidal vessel has the furtheradvantage that it permits readily substantially liquid tight seating inthe compartmented water bath, giving it a self sealing quality.

The insertion of the carrier means in the upright vessel of theinvention in complete darkness may be further facilitated by theprovision of luminescent markings at the upper edge of the upright washvessel of the invention or at the edge of the bath or compartment, inwhich it is contained. Suoh luminescent markings may be provided allaround the upper edge and preferably on the outer upper edge of thevesesl or merely at the upper edge of the end walls of any of theembodiments of the vessels of the present invention.

The reservoir may also be made up from curved wall sections. An exampleof a curved cross section reservoir is shown in FIG. of the drawings ofmy copending application Ser. No. 342,198 filed Feb. 3, 1964.

Hereinbefore, the vessels have been described and illustrated with theirmajor vertical side walls being in parallel relationship. For specialpurposes, these walls may also be inclined toward each other. They maydefine a vessel being Wider at the top, narrowing toward the bottom or,vice versa, they may define a vessel being narrower at the top andwidening toward the bottom. The former embodiment facilitates theinsertion of the carrier means with the sheet contained therein and mayin certain instances obviate the need for the trough-like reservoir orflared upper portion of the vessel, yet giving all the advantages ofthese embodiments.

As is readily apparent from the foregoing description, good seal of theupright treating vessels of the invention against the walls of the waterbath is important for efficient operation, if the upright wash vesselsof the inven- 10 tion are used in the compartmented Water bath,employing a unidirectional stream of water as the washing medium. Anysubstantial leakage around the narrow vertical sides of the wash vesselreduces the efliciency of the washing action in the particular vessel.

In the embodiments of the wash vessels described hereinbefore andillustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 10 of the accompanying drawings, nospecial sealing means are provided. If the vessels are inserted withtheir end walls into cooperating sealing means such as depressions orchannels contained in or at the end Walls of each compartment of theWater bath, the end walls of the vessels serve as sealing means. Bymachining or maintaining close tolerances in the dimensions of thevessels and compartments, or by other suitable means, satisfactory sealmay be readily achieved. Perfect seal may also be achieved without theneed for machining or keeping close tolerances, if the cooperatingsealing means in the walls of the bath or compartment are lined withsuitably shaped and dimensioned elastomeric profiled materials. Stillbetter seal may be readily achieved, if one employs the self-sealingtrapezoidal embodiment of the treating vessels in conjunction with acompartmented Water bath in which the long side walls or the cooperatingsealing means contained therein have a slant, which is approximately thesame as that of the end walls of the trapezoidal vessels.

With vessels made from slightly compressible or elastic materials, orwith the use of the said elastomeric profiles in the cooperating sealingmeans, exertion of slight downward pressure on the inserted vesselproduces excellent seal between the vessels and the bath walls. Sincethis embodiment of the vessel and bath are, as stated, not dependent onthe maintenance of close tolerances, less costly materials andinexpensive mass production methods may be used for their construction.

Unlimited exchangeability of the wash vessels in the compartments of agiven bath and the possibility of using vessels of varying thickness orliquid capacity in the same bath is possible with the use of anotherembodiment of the upright vessel, which is characterized by theprovision of a vertical seal strip on the outside of each of the endwalls and bottom of the Wash vessel. The seal strips extend preferablyover the whole length or over most of the length of said end walls ofthe vessel and over the whole length of the bottom and areadvantageously fixedly joined thereon. They may be of the same materialor of a material different from that from which the vessel is made. Theymay be integral with the vessel or they may be joined to the vessel bythe use of adhesives or other fastening means. The horizontalcross-sectional profile of the seal strip may be square, rectangular,semicircular or of any other desired irregular shape so as to providewith the selected materials the most effective seal. The strips may beof uniform width and thickness from top to bottom or they may be taperedtoward the lower end with the widest cross-section at their top ends.Many variations in the tapered design of the seal strip are possible,the more complex ones usually providing more readily perfect seal uponinsertion of the vessel into the coacting sealing means contained in thebath such as depressions, grooves or channels in the opposite end wallsand in the bottom of the compartment. The coacting sealing meansprovided in the opposite end walls of the compartments of the bath arepreferably concave counterparts of the said seal strip of approximatelyidentical shape and dimension. If the seal strip is made of or coveredby an elastomeric material such as rubber or other elastomeric naturalor synthetic polymeric material in solid or foamed or expandedcondition, excellent seal may be achieved without the need for theobservance of close tolerances in the shape or dimensions of the groovesor channels in the compartments and the coacting sealing means in thewalls and in the bottom of the water bath, or compartments may have anydesired shape or size or may be omitted altogether. In

1 1 this case the walls and bottom of the water bath or of therespective compartment in the Water bath serve as the cooperatingsealing means.

An example of a wash vessel having tapered or wedgeshaped seal strips isshown in FIG. 4 of the accompanying drawings. Upright wash vessel 770 isdefined by major vertical side walls 771 and 772, vertical end walls 773and bottom 774. To the outside of each of walls 773 are fixedly mountedvertical, tapered seal strips 775 contained on and held in place byvertical ribs 776, provided along end walls 773. Seal strips 775 aremade of an elastomeric material and mounted such that their thickerprofile is at the top and their thinnest profile is at the bottom of thevessel. To the bottom of the vessel is joined on a horizontal rib (notshown) horizontal seal strip 777 made of the same material as verticalseal strips 775 and joined thereto, so as to form a U-shaped seal striparound the sides and bottom of the vessel. Insertion of the vessel intoa compartment of a suitably dimensioned compartmented water bath, havingconcave tapered grooves or channels of corresponding dimensions andshape, will provide instantaneous tight seal merely by slight downwardpressure on the vessel.

If the seal strips provided at the end walls of the vessel are made froma non-elastic material and if it is not desired to maintain closetolerances, perfect seal may be achieved by making or by lining theconcave holding means in or at the end walls of the compartment or inthe side walls of the bath with an elastomeric material. In thisembodiment ribs 776 may directly serve as the vessel mounted sealingmeans. It is important to note that the vessel-mounted sealing meansextend to a level at least slightly higher than the water level in thebath, when the vessel is inserted therein, so as to prevent water fromoverflowing the sealing means. Similarly it is desirable that good sealis established between the cooperating sealing means up to the waterlevel in the bath.

The lower passageway for the washing medium is formed by horizontal slot778, extending across the exposed front portion of bottom 774 next tomajor side wall 771. The upper overflow passage is formed by the upperhorizontal edge 779 of shortened side wall 772. To horizontal overflowedge 779 is joined horizontal lip 780 with raised edges 781 which servesas a conduit for the washing medium, entering or leaving the vessel byoverflowing edge 779. Lip 780 is advantageously made large enough toextend over the vicinal separator wall when the vessel is inserted in acompartmented water bath or in a compartment. If the washing mediumenters at the bottom through slot 778, it flows upward in the vessel,overflowing edge 779, whereafter it is conducted by lip 780 directlyinto the next compartment. In this manner very little if any of thechemical contaminated washing medium enters into the space left betweenwall 772 and the vicinary separatory wall.

As mentioned hereinbefore, it is usually desirable to make the washvessel as narrow as is possible so as to utilize the washing efficiencyof a given stream of flowing washing medium to the greatest possibleextent. Advantageously, the washing vessel is designed and dimensionedfor the treatment of a given number of sheets, say 2, 4, 6, 8, or ormore, depending on the circumstances. The only limitation controllingthe reduction of the thickness of the wash vessels is the space requiredfor the insertion of the sheet material contained on the carrier means,to be used with the vessels. These may be designed to be very thin.Thus, if desired, the thickness of the vessels may be as low as aquarter of an inch or even less. For the simultaneous treatment of morethan 2 sheets, one will usually employ vessels of a greater thickness ofsay one-half inch up to one or even several inches. The provision ofstandard seal strips on the wash vessel makes it not only possible touse interchangeably wash vessels of varying capacity in a given bath orcompartmented bath, but gives also complete freedom in the ar- 12rangement of Wash vessels and treating vessels in a given bath, if boththe wash vessels and the treating vessels are provided with the standardseal strip.

If some of the hereinbefore described embodiments of the wash vessel areinserted centrally in the compartment or cell, a pocket of standingwater is formed in the down stream portion or in the upstream portion ofthe cell, depending on whether the stream of water enters at the top orat the bottom of the wash vessel. To avoid undesirable accumulation orretention in the water pockets of chemicals washed out from the treatedphotographic material in the washing vessel, it is often advantageousthat the wide cell or compartment wall, adjoining the water pocket ofthe wash vessel which carries the upper overflow or entrance slot, isremoved from the bath, thus uniting two neighboring cells to form onecorrespondingly larger cell. This expedient is particularly etfectivewhen an upright treating vessel follows in the sequence or arrangement.This is usually the case since rarely two separate washing steps followdirectly each other in any of the presently used photographic treatingprocesses. If exchangeability is not required, the wash vessel may alsobe permanently joined to the water bath or compartment in which they areto be used. Alternatively, the wash vessel may be provided with sealingmeans, which are adapted to fit the counter sealing means for theremovable separatory wall and the wash vessel is simply inserted in lieuof the separatory wall. A wash vessel suitable for this arrangement isexemplified in FIG. 3 of the drawings and described hereinbefore.

The foregoing discussion shows, that the bottom sealing embodiments ofthe wash vessel may with advantage also be used in a water bath which isnot subdivided into compartments or cells, without adversely aflectingthe eflectiveness and operativeness of the wash vessel, as long as aunidirectional stream of water or other washing medium passes throughthe bath.

The formation of water pockets may also be avoided by using theexpedient of setting the wash vessel ottcenter in direct contact withone separatory wall of the cell or compartment as describedhereinbefore. This may be achieved by setting the seal strip olT-centertoward the side wall of the vessel which does not have the overflow asillustrated, for instance, in FIG. 3 of the drawings. The distance fromthe center of the seal strip to the outside of the side wall carryingthe overflow should be equal to one half the cell width, if the countersealing means are located in the center of the compartment.

The off-center embodiment of the wash vessel may also be furthermodified by omitting the seal strip at the bottom and substituting anapron on the lower side wall, providing the overflow as the support andsealing means. An embodiment of this modification of the wash vessel isillustrated in FIG. 5 of the accompanying drawings.

Wash vessel 790 comprises a narrow generally parallelepipedalreceptacle, formed by major side walls 791 and 782, end walls 783 andbottom 784. A horizontal slot, extending substantially across the wholelength of the bottom, is provided in the bottom as the lower passagewayfor the stream of washing medium. Side wall 781 is slanted outwardly inits upper portion to form a partial trough-like reservoir 785. The upperhorizontal edge of side wall 791 extends to a level substantially higherthan the top edge of side wall 782. End walls 783 extend to a heightcorresponding to that of side wall 791 so as to complete the partialreservoir.

Apron 786 is joined to the top edge of side wall 782, extendingvertically downward and leaving an open pocket between it and widevertical side wall 782, the pocket being wide enough to receive or slipover the coordinated separatory wall of the water bath, in which thewash vessel is to be used. In the upper enclosed portion of the pocketis contained a gasket 787 of an elastomeric material, which gasketextends over the full length of the pocket so as to provide asubstantially water tight seal between the upper edge of the separatorywall and the apex of the pocket. Apron 786 extends on both sides beyondthe end walls 783 of the wash vessel to a width slightly less than thewidth of the compartment or water bath. To the extensions of the apronare joined profiled gaskets 788, made from an elastomeric material andadapted to establish tight seal between the apron and the verticalvicinary walls of the compartment or bath, when the vessel is inserted.Gaskets 7-87 need be provided only at and slightly above the water levelin the wash vessel 790 to accomplish the desired seal and to preventwater from bypassing the wash vessel.

For use of the wash vessel in a compartmented water bath, the washvessel 790 is simply slipped, by help of apron 786, over one of theseparatory walls of the compartment, in which the vessel is to beplaced, preferably over the down-stream wall for highest efficiency.Gaskets 78.8 engage with the walls of the compartment or water bath,respectively, and gasket 787 engages with the upper edge of theseparatory wall, both means cooperating so as to establish tight sealand forcing the stream of flowing water to flow through the wash vessel.As can be readily seen, ineffectiveness of the sealing means wouldpermit at least some Water to by-pass the wash vessel with the resultantreduction in efiiciency of washing action. The provision of efficientsealing means is therefore of utmost importance in the construction ofthe washing vessels of the present invention.

In the various embodiments and modifications of the Wash vessel, havingthe seal strip across the center of the bottom, the lower passageway forthe washing medium may be provided directly in the bottom seal strip, sothat the stream of washing medium enters directly at the center of thebottom rather than in an off-center position. As is readily apparent,this expedient will usually provide more even distribution of the streamof washing medium over the horizontal cross section of the wash vesesl,than is achieved with the off-center passageway, particularly if thesheet of photographic material is kept stationary with its lower edge ator close to the bottom.

Instead of providing one single, long slot atthe bottom, a multiplicityof shorter slots, lying in one line or distributed across the bottom,may be substituted. Good efli ciency can also be achieved by theprovision of variously shaped perforations over the bottom area or inthe lower sections of the side walls.

In another embodiment of the wash vessel of the present invention aclosed box-like enclosure is provided below the bottom section of thewash vessel, such that it communicates through the lower passageway suchas a slot or perforations with the interior of the wash vessel. A tubeor other conduit serves as the inlet for a stream of water, which passesfrom said conduit into the box-like enclosure and through the slot intothe lower portion of the vessel, finally overflowing at the top of thevessel. This embodiment of the wash vessel can be used independently ofa water bath or compartment and may be used with advantage as anauxiliary wash vessel as is described and claimed in my copendingapplication Ser. No. 350,612 filed Mar. 9, 1964.

Referring to FIGS. 7 to 9, upright wash vessel 10 comprises, major sidewalls 11 and 12, end walls 13 and 14 and bottom 15 with horizontal slot16, extending over the length of the vessel and serving as the lowerpassageway. Narrow slot 16 is enclosed by box-like enclosure 17 providedbelow the bottom section of the vessel. Box-like enclosure 17communicates at the left with vertical inlet passage 18 and inlet tube19 for the wash water. Outlet passage 20 is formed by the upper edge ofmajor side wall 12 and extends essentially over the full length of thevessel. Outlet passage 20 is provided with lip 21. Raised upper portion22 of the major side wall 11 slants outwardly to form a partialtrough-like reservoir and a guide for the insertion of the photographicsheet material. To the end walls 13 and 14 are joined ribs 23, one eachto each end wall, which serve as the vertical sealing and supportingmeans for the wash vessel in a water bath or the like having cooperativefemale sealing means such as vertical grooves, in the side walls.

The operation of this embodiment of the wash vessel is similar to thatdescribed hereinbefore. Running fresh wash water is introduced throughtube 19 and inlet passage 18 into box-like enclosure 17, where itdistributes and passes upwardly in an essentially even flow patternthrough narrow slot 16, flowing upwardly over the entire horizontalcross section of the vessel in an essentially even distribution and atan esesntially even flow rate. The water leaves the wash vessel andoverflow-s at horizontal overflow passage 20.

If the just described auxiliary wash vessel is made of dimensionssimilar to those described hereinbefore, it may also be inserted in thewater bath by the use of suitable supporting or sealing meanscorresponding to those pro vided in the treating vessels. As is readilyapparent, the auxiliary washing vessel may thus be placed in sequencewith the steps of a-multistep photographic process, yet beingindependent of a stream of washing medium, flowing through the waterbath. Alternatively, it may serve as the sole washing vessel,accommodating all washing steps in a multistep photographic process,requiring one or more washing treatments.

As described herein before, the said seal strips such as ribs or otherprotrusions may also be provided in the cell or compartments of thewater bath and the counter sealing means are accordingly provided at thewash vessel. Either the said seal strips or the counter sealing means orboth are advantageously provided with a seal or gasket of suitableprofiled strips of an elastomeric material such as rubber, plastics orother material in solid or in expanded or foamed form as describedhereinbefore.

Instead of providing male sealing means on the end Walls of the vesseland cooperating sealing means in or at the Walls of the bath or in eachcompartment contained in the bath, the female sealing means may beprovided in the end walls of the upright wash vessel with cooperatingsealing means provided in the bath. The vessel depicted in FIG. 6 of thedrawings employs this expedient. Upright wash vessel 810 is formed bymajor side walls 811, end walls 812 and bottom 813. Grooves 814 in theend walls 812 serve as the sealing means when the vessel is inserted inthe bath or compartment over cooperating sealing means, being in theform of vertical ribs projecting into the bath or compartment.

At the bottom 813 is provided horizontal male seal strip 815, whichprojects downward and extends between grooves 814, so as to form thehorizontal sealing means which in combination with the female sealingmeans represented by the grooves, constitute the sealing means in thismodification of the vessel. Seal strip 815 cooperates and engages inappropriate counter sealing means provided in or at the bottom of thebath or compartment, in which the vessel is inserted for its use.Lowered horizontal edge 816 of the rear major side wall 811 serves asthe overflow, and perforations 817 in the lower portion of major sidewall 811 in front serve as the lower passageway for the washing medium.For improved seal either the grooves 814 in the end walls of the vesselor the cooperating sealing means or both the female and the male sealingmeans may be provided with a liner or a profiled member of anelastomeric material as described hereinbefore.

The wash vessels of the invention may be manufactured by the usualmethods. They may be constructed from individual, suitably shapedcomponents using adhesives, or soldering or welding methods or similarmethods as the means for joining the components. They may also be formedin one piece e.g., by injection molding, extrusion, stamping, or byblowing techniques, particularly if they are manufactured fromthermoplastic construction materials. It was found that the vessels maybe most conveniently produced by vacuum forming methods using a splitmold. Each half of the mold has a cavity corresponding to one half ofthe vessel cut along its vertical symmetry line parallel to the longvertical walls of the vessel. Both halves of the mold are advantageouslyjoined at the bottom by a hinge and each half of the mold has spacersand its independent vacuum chamber and connection to a source of vaccum.

As is readily apparent, the various features illustrated hereinbeforewith specific embodiments of the wash vessel of the invention may berecombined to form a multitude of new combinations and new embodimentsof the upright treating vessels of the present invention. Suchmodifications are, on the basis of the principles and inventive conceptstaught hereinbefore, within the skill of the artisan and fall within theambit and scope of the present invention. The various forms of bottom,upper trough-like extensions, sealing strips and supporting means forthe vessels, arrangement of underflow and overflow may be readilyadjusted to form new embodiments of the invention, too numerous to beillustrated.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it isunderstood, that the invention is not limited to the specificembodiments thereof, except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An upright washing vessel for the washing treatment of photographicmaterials in sheet form in a flowing stream of fresh wash water, whichwashing vessel comprises a generally parallelepipedal receptacle formedby two major side walls, two end walls and a bottom section, saidreceptacle standing in operational position on its bottom section, andwherein said bottom section comprises at least one lower passagewayextending essentially over the full length of the bottom section of thereceptacle; an overflow passage in the top section of said receptacle atone of the major side walls and extending essentially over the wholelength of said vessel; and sealing means which are adapted to permitessentially liquid tight sealing of the washing vessel in a compartmentof a compartmented bath, when the wash vessel is inserted therein, so asto permit a stream of flowing wash water to flow in a predominantlyvertical direction over essentially the whole horizontal cross sectionof the receptacle.

2. The wash vessel of claim 1, in which said sealing means forestablishing liquid tight sealing of the wash vessel in said compartmentof a compartmented water bath comprise essentially vertical ribsextending along the outside of said end walls.

3. An upright wash vessel for the washing treatment of photographicmaterials in sheet form in a flowing stream of fresh wash water, whichwash vessel comprises a generally parallelepipedal receptacle formed bytwo major side walls, two end walls and a bottom; an overflow passagefor the wash water in the top section of said wash vessel, extendingessentially horizontally along one of the major side walls and extendingessentially across the whole length of said major side wall; passagemeans for the wash water in the bottom section of said vessel extendingessentially over the whole length of said receptacle: a box-likeenclosure surrounding and enclosing said passage means in the bottomsection; and inlet means for said running wash water communicativelyconnected to said box-like enclosure, such that a stream of flowing washwater flows in a predominantly vertical direction over essentially thewhole horizontal cross section of the wash vessel.

4. The wash vessel of claim 3, in which said passage means for the washwater in the bottom section of the vessel is a narrow slot extendingessentially over the whole length of said receptacle.

5. The wash vessel of claim 3, in which one of the major side wallsextends to a height higher than the second so that the upper edge of thelower major side wall forms said overflow passage in the top section ofthe wash vessel.

6. The wash vessel of claim 3, in which are provided essentiallyvertical sealing means along said end walls, so as to provide supportfor the wash vessel when it is inserted in a compartment of acompartmented water bath.

7. The wash vessel of claim 6, in which said vertical sealing means areribs extending essentially vertically along each of the end walls, andextending outwardly from said end walls.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 633,818 9/1899 Dobbins 97 672,6054/1901 Orr et al 9598 923,669 6/1909 Lavender 9590 1,067,403 7/1913Buckland 9598 1,075,905 10/1913 Drosser 9598 1,305,095 5/1919 Hansen95100 2,986,988 6/1961 Dyck 95-97 X 3,133,490 5/1964 Buck 9596 NORTONANSHER, Primary Examiner.

J. F. PETERS, C. B. PRICE, Assistant Examiners.

1. AN UPRIGHT WASHING VESSEL FOR THE WASHING TREATMENT OF PHOTOGRAPHICMATERIALS IN SHEET FORM IN A FLOWING STREAM OF FRESH WASH WATER, WHICHWASHING VESSEL COMPRISES A GENERALLY PARALLELEPIPEDAL RECEPTACLE FORMEDBY TWO MAJOR SIDE WALLS, TWO END WALLS AND A BOTTOM SECTION, SAIDRECEPTACLE STANDING IN OPERATIONAL POSITION ON ITS BOTTOM SECTION, ANDWHEREIN SAID BOTTOM SECTION COMPRISES AT LEAST ONE LOWER PASSAGEWAYEXTENDING ESSENTIALLY OVER THE FULL LENGTH OF THE BOTTOM SECTION OF THERECEPTACLE; AN OVERFLOW PASSAGE IN THE TOP SECTION OF SAID RECEPTACLE;AT ONE OF THE MAJOR SIDE WALLS AND EXTENDING ESSENTIALLY OVER THE WHOLELENGTH OF SAID VESSEL; AND SEALING MEANS WHICH ARE ADAPTED TO PERMITESSENTIALLY LIQUID TIGHT SEALING OF THE WASHING VESSEL IN A COMPARTMENTOF A COMPARTMENTED BATH, WHEN THE WASH VESSEL IS INSERTED THEREIN, SO ASTO PERMIT A STREAM OF FLOWING WASH WATER TO FLOW IN A PREDOMINANTLYVERTICAL DIRECTION OVER ESSENTIALLY THE WHOLE HORIZONTAL CROSS SECTIONOF THE RECEPTACLE.